HMGN polypeptides belong to the high mobility group (HMG) family of chromosomal binding peptides. HMGN polypeptides typically function inside the cell nucleus to bind to DNA and nucleosomes and regulate the transcription of various genes. HMGN polypeptides also can be released by peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
A patient's immune response often plays an important role in the progression of disease and the effectiveness of medical treatments for disease. Two types of immune responses can occur in a patient: a Th-1 pro-inflammatory type and a Th-2 anti-inflammatory type. The Th-1 (cell-mediated) type of immune response activates T-cells and macrophages, while the Th-2 (antibody-mediated) type of immune response activates B-cells.
Often, due to the effects of a disease or even the treatments for a disease, a patient's immune response is diminished or the immune response is disadvantageously shifted away from a Th-1 pro-inflammatory type response and towards a Th-2 anti-inflammatory type response. This diminished or Th-2 polarized immune response is thought to be responsible, at least in part, for the more rapid progression of disease and reduction in the effectiveness of some treatments. This is thought to be true, for example, in cancer patients. In the context of other diseases, a heightened or Th-1 polarized immune response can be disadvantageous and at least partly responsible for the progression of the disease or reduction in the effectiveness of treatment. Thus, there is a need in the art for methods of modulating an immune response.